No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes rout California Baptist in season opener

No. 2 Iowa wrestling’s season is underway with a rout. The Hawkeyes cruised past California Baptist, 42-3.

Iowaย wrestling started off their season in front of a packed house at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a one-sided 42-3 victory over California Baptist.

Three pin falls, two technical falls, and two major decisions were the headline of the day for the Hawkeyes in a truly dominant performance.

“There were some good performances with some new faces. They did a good job,” said head coach Tom Brands. “We have to move forward, and we want to get our best lineup on the mat. Thatโ€™s a lineup that looked pretty good to me and we still donโ€™t have Real Woods or Spencer Lee on the mat.”

Cobe Siebrecht started off the points party in the first match of the dual, pinning Joey Mora with one second to spare in the second period. The definition of a buzzer beater. Fourteenth-ranked Patrick Kennedy followed with a 20-5 technical fall to make it 11-0 Hawkeyes.

Freshman Drake Rhodes finished his bout against Louis Rojas with a strong takedown to earn his first major decision as a Hawkeye. Whether or not he receives the redshirt this year, the Billings, Montana native is certainly one to watch for the future.

Following No. 10 Abe Assad’s 11-4 victory over Peter Acciardi, No. 2 Jacob Warner provided a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pin fall. It legitimately was an easy to miss moment, too. I looked away for a split second and Warner was already walking off the mat.

Heavyweight Tony Cassioppi joined the party with a pin of his own. Drew Bennett, and Max Murin also earned bonus points, gaining a major decision and technical fall victory respectively.

I don’t think this is a result that will surprise anyone. The second-ranked team in the nation, Iowa will be in the thick of the Big Ten Championship race. As a result, they are one of the front runners for the national championship. No disrespect to the Lancers, but there are very much levels to this game.

It was a good tune-up performance, and it’s great to see some returning contenders in Warner and Cassioppi start off the dual season with quick victories. I was really impressed with how Drake Rhodes fought for the major decision at the end of the match. I’m a big fan of his aggressive style.

Iowa will travel to West Point to take on the Army Black Knights on Thursday. Iowa defeated Army 36-7 last year, the two sides’ only meeting to date.

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